A variety of cleansing implements have been used to remove dirt and dead skin from the user's body during bathing or showering. Traditionally, hand held terry washcloths and natural and synthetic sponges have been used. Each of these has one or more significant deficiencies. For example, a sponge has pores which make it difficult to remove dirt from the implement once the dirt is removed from the body. A washcloth often impedes lathering even though lathering is a primary function of a cleansing implement. Some sponges absorb the cleansers that are intended to help remove dirt. Neither sponges nor washcloths can be dried quickly because they become water-logged. As a result they develop unpleasant odors and become a place for breeding bacteria, mold, etc. Also, such implements are typically not suitable for cleaning all body parts. Washcloths are too soft to stimulate and exfoliate skin, and sponges are too rough to cleanse sensitive skin areas.
Some prior art implements have dual textures to provide both soft and harsher surfaces for cleansing different body parts. An example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,169,264 to Walker, issued Apr. 19, 1964. It is a hand held multi-purpose wash cloth having one layer made of nylon mesh similar to mosquito netting, and an opposite side layer of cotton dish towel material. The two layers are connected only around their common perimeter by overcast stitching. The cotton layer is intended to be very absorbent, so that like an ordinary washcloth, it is capable of holding liquid and releasing the liquid when squeezed. Therefore, similar to a washcloth, the implement of Walker is slow to dry.
More recently, ball-like structures made of polymer netting have been found in the prior art. An example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,144,744 to Campagnoli, issued Sep. 8, 1992. It is hand held and it is made of diamond-mesh polyethylene. Diamond-mesh polyethylene is an extruded scrim material which is commonly found covering vegetables, meat, and poultry.
The implement of Campagnoli is made by stretching multiple tubular pieces of diamond-mesh scrim transversely to their tubular axes and placing each piece over separate support posts. The supported pieces, held in a stretched condition, are arranged either parallel to or at different angles to each other. By tying together the stretched pieces at their centers, and then releasing the pieces from the support posts, each piece springs back toward the tied center to generate a ball-like shape. Prior art ball-like structures similar to Campagnoli's have the stretched pieces of gathered diamond-mesh scrim cinched at their centers, producing a hard dense core, which hinders rinsing and drying. While the surface of Campagnoli's ball-like structure may have high open area, it is difficult to clean the center of the implement for reuse. Furthermore, commercial diamond-mesh scrim is somewhat coarse and therefore harsh to areas of the body having sensitive skin. Commercially available implements of this type are sold by The Body Shop of London, England; and by Bilange of New York, N.Y.